The present invention relates to portable electronic apparatus and in particular, though not necessarily, to portable electronic communication apparatus.
Many different types of portable electronic devices are currently available which use a small display screen, e.g. a liquid crystal display, and a keyboard for entering data into the device. Examples of such devices include pocket calculators, personal digital assistants (PDA), and cellular telephones. More recently, a new type of device has become available which combines the functions of a cellular telephone and a personal digital assistant. Particularly in the case of the latter type of device, there is a strong desire to reduce the overall size of the device in order to allow it to be more easily carried by a user.
EP 0534478 describes a portable telephone set including an electronic notebook function, i.e. of the combined cellular telephone/PDA type. The device has a body portion on which a number of electronic notebook keys are provided. A lid is hingeably connected to the body portion, the lid having telephone keys provided on both its inner and outer surfaces. When the lid is closed over the body portion, the notebook keys are covered by the lid and only the telephone keys provided on the outer surface of the lid are accessible. When the lid is open, both the telephone keys on the lid""s inner surface and the notebook keys are accessible. The body portion is provided with an elongate display which is visible both when the lid is closed and when it is open.
EP 0472361 describes a similar type of portable device having a body portion on which are provided a number of notebook keys and a display screen. A lid portion is hingeably connected to the body portion and when the lid is in the closed position the lid partially covers the display. On the outer surface of the lid there are provided a number of telephone keys which allow a user to make a telephone call when the lid is closed. A number of additional notebook keys are provided on the inner surface of the lid.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided electronic apparatus comprising:
a body portion;
a lid hingeably coupled to the body portion and moveable about a hinged joint between open and closed positions in which a surface portion of the body portion is respectively uncovered and covered by the lid;
a first plurality of data input keys on said surface portion of the body portion;
a second plurality of data input keys on an inner surface of the lid;
a third plurality of data input keys on an outer surface of the lid;
an electronic display on a surface of the body portion, the display being visible to a user when the lid is in said open and closed positions; and
display control means for displaying information on the display with a first orientation when the lid is in the open position and with a second orientation, substantially at right angles to said first orientation, when the lid is in the closed position.
Embodiments of the present invention may be arranged such that the display is suitably oriented both when the apparatus is used with the lid closed (e.g. with only a reduced keypad accessible) and when it is used with the lid open (e.g. with an extended keypad accessible).
Preferably, said body portion of the electronic apparatus is elongate, with said electronic display being provided at a first end region of the body portion and said lid being hingeably coupled to a second end region, opposite to said first end region, of the body portion. Preferably, said hinged joint is arranged to enable the lid to be moveable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongate body portion. More preferably, said display and said first plurality of keys are arranged on the same surface of the body portion.
Preferably, when the lid is in the open position, said first and second plurality of data input keys are arranged so as to provide in combination a QWERTY style keyboard (or equivalent).
The electronic apparatus of the present invention may be a mobile communication device. For example, the device may be arranged to remotely activate a radio telephone unit. With the lid of the device in the closed position, said third plurality of keys may act as control keys for the radio telephone unit. More particularly, the third plurality of keys may provide numeric and other telephone dialling keys for controlling the operation of the radio telephone unit. The device may additionally operate as a personal digital assistant or portable computer, with said first and second plurality of data input keys enabling a user to input data into the PDA or PC, or into a memory of the radio telephone unit.
The electronic apparatus of the present invention may also function as a radio telephone without requiring any additional units. In this case, the third plurality of keys provide numeric and other dialling keys for operating the device as a radio telephone. Again, the device may additionally operate as a PDA or PC into which data is entered using the first and second plurality of data input keys.
Embodiments of the present invention also include for example personal digital assistants, palm-top computers, and pocket calculators.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an electronic apparatus comprising a body portion, an electronic display on a surface of the body portion, typing mode selection means for implementing a selection between a first typing mode and a second typing mode, a first plurality of data input keys comprising a first set of function keys, each implementing a first key function in the first typing mode and a second key function in the second typing mode, and display control means for displaying information on the display with a first orientation in the first typing mode and with a second orientation, substantially at right angles to said first orientation, in the second typing mode.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of displaying information on an electronic display provided on a body portion of an electronic apparatus, the device comprising a first plurality of data input keys provided on a surface of said body surface, a lid hingeably coupled to the body portion and arranged to cover said first plurality of data input keys in a closed position and having a second plurality of data input keys on an inner surface thereof and a third plurality of keys on an outer surface thereof, wherein the display is visible in both the open and closed positions of the lid, the method comprising displaying information on the display with a first orientation when the lid is in the closed position and displaying information with a second orientation, substantially at right angles to said first orientation, when the lid is in the open position.
For a better understanding of the present invention and in order to show how the same may be carried into effect reference will now be made, by a way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a mobile communication device with a lid of the device in a closed position;
FIG. 2 shows the mobile communication device of FIG. 1 with the lid in an open position;
FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the device of FIG. 1 with the lid in the open position;
FIG. 4 shows in block diagram form control and display circuitry of the device of FIGS. 1 to 3.
FIG. 5 illustrates a layout for a set of data entry keys associated with two different typing modes in a front perspective view of a mobile communication device.